Sleepwalking Past Hope
by Jenna Von Cannon
Summary: New neighbors lead to secret obsessions and danger. Joker/OC *M for drug use, language, possible sexual situations, violence. By the way, I suck horribly at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I have decided to write another fanfic involving The Joker and an OC. I am not going to neglect 'Faces of Evil' at all. I've had this story in my head for the past week and decided to begin writing it two days ago. Please read and let me know what you think. I will only continue this story if you all think that I should. Enjoy!**

Sarah Mertueil. A normal, eighteen year old girl. She has loving parents and loving friends. Her views on life are live fast, die pretty. She is the standard eighteen year old party girl who loved having fun. She is a senior at Wayne High School in Gotham City. She is on the Yearbook staff and an avid fan of football. She is currently involved with a Powderpuff league as an extracurricular activity. Powderpuff is pretty much the girl's turn to play football, only adding an extra sting every time they tackle.

Sarah is an average looking girl. She is about 5'7" and 120 pounds. She has medium length dyed red hair with bangs that go off on the side. Her body is what guys like and yet she has problems with it all. She is a slender girl with about a C cup breast size and she feels she hardly has an ass. Her eyes are an odd silverfish blue color lined at all times with black eyeliner. Her lips were a decent size, always a nude color. She feels at times she looks like a muppet, with her thick lashes and plump lips.

She spends most of her days sleeping in class and partying at night. Her bad lifestyle will catch up to her sooner or later but she doesn't have the time to worry about it.

"What are you planning on doing with your life Miss Mertueil?" The guidance counselor asks.

"I'll let you know when I know." She states, sinking into the uncomfortable chair.

The counselor gives an exasperated sigh as she looks from Sarah to her transcripts.

"You have decent grades, could do better in Economics. Yet you haven't decided on what college you are attending. Why?"

It is February, three months till the senior class graduates. "I'm weighing my options." She replies incautiously.

Sarah has looked at many colleges in the area, not wanting to leave the wonderful city of Gotham. Her options are Gotham Community College, Gotham State and Gotham University. There is the new all girls college getting ready to open up by the name of Dawes College, named after the late Racheal Dawes. She knew she didn't want to attend that college.

Sarah reaches up and rubs behind her ear. "Are we done here or are you going to give me more words of wisdom?" She asks dangerously.

The woman sitting in front of her gives Sarah an eat-shit-and-die look and waves her out. Sarah smirks and rises from the chair. The bell sounds which meant school is out, party begins. Sarah quickly walks out of the office, into the hall, and out of the school. As she is searching through her purse to find her keys, an arm grabs her shoulder. Her eyes glance up and it's her friend Katie Willow. They are what Katie calls 'Partner's in Crime'. To Sarah it is more like Katie is the slut partner and herself, she is the brain's of the operation.

"So, there is a party at Jake's tonight. You are going to be there right?" Katie asks, now leaning on Sarah's 2001 Cougar.

Sarah thought about it but she has already promised her mother some time together.

"I'll think about it. Mom is going crazy about how much she misses me. I might swing by later though."

Sarah got into her car and waved goodbye to her friend. As the car became active the song "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band began to blare from the speakers. She places her sunglasses over her eyes and takes off, her destination being home.

Sarah arrived home, alone as usual. Her mother is still at work as well as her father. She walks out on the deck of her backyard and notices people moving things into the house next to them. By the looks of it all there are three guys. She sees one with short, brown hair; another with short red hair; and the last with long curly blondish type hair. The last one has his hair pulled back, curls tight. They stop putting things on their deck when they notice Sarah. It is odd the way they stare at her but she shrugs it off and returns inside.

Sarah walks into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of sweet tea. She stares out the window, watching her new neighbors. She doesn't get a good look at the faces of them all. The one with the curly hair has on a purple shirt and jeans. The others have on gray colored shirts. They disappear. They must have finished. Sarah thought it was odd that her previous neighbors never mentioned moving and yet after no activity from the house next door there are three men moving some things into it. She bits her lip and walks upstairs to lay down in her bed. There are other things she wishes she could be doing but like a good girl, she waits for her mother to get home. She became comfortable in her bed and soon dozed off.

--

"This place isn't too bad, eh boss?" A man said.

The two men had been staking out this house for weeks. They needed a new hide out and they found one. Two of the men had been moving things around as the one they refer to as 'boss' sat on the couch. Boss is flipping through the television with a remote, lazily. On the table in front of him were black and white pictures of the girl next door. Along with staking out a new place for them all to crash for a couple of weeks-if that- they were also ordered to find a place near an attractive female. They found the perfect place.

The owners of the house sit bound and gagged in front of the curly headed man. As of right now, they are all knocked out. It's better at the moment because the curly haired man doesn't have his face on. He throws the remote down on the couch and picks up the pictures laying before him.

_My, she is a pretty little thing…_

He lights up a cigarette, helping to yellow his teeth even further. The smoke dances in the air as he shifts through the pictures. Turtlenecks, shorts sleeves, a bikini shot. There are pictures of Sarah at school and attending parties. His mind has no doubt she is a stuck up bitch with weak morals. What to do with her he doesn't even know. He figures he'd toy with her at first and then eventually kill her. He hears groaning coming from one of the owners of the house. He chooses to ignore it until the man is fully awake and trying to awaken his wife and his teenage son. Joker glances up at the man and looks back down at the photos. He exhales his cigarette, gritting his teeth.

"It's very rude when I am trying to concentrate," he begins and stands up to walk over to the hostages, "All I want is for you to shut up and you can't even do that." He bends down and blows smoke from his lips.

He takes the cloth from the mans lips. "Now what is so important that you must interrupt me from my study?"

The man begins to plead for his life and his life only. He even tries to offer his wife to him. The Joker's unmasked brows furrow. He pulls out a knife and the man becomes quiet, his eyes never leaving the blade.

"You're offering your wife to me to save your life?" His tongue flicks his lips. "I'm trying to make myself at home and you interrupt my relaxation in order to offer your wife to save your ass. Now… I'm a man of bargaining," he lies, "But your wife isn't appealing. She isn't the screamer you look like you could be."

He man stares at the poorly healed scars on his face. Joker begins to laugh, seeing the horror in the man's eyes. Joker gets up and walks back to the couch, returning his gaze to the photograph. The man begins to talk again, pleading for nothing bad to happen to **him**. Joker picks up the remote and throws it at the man's head, hard. He continues to beg. Joker is now frustrated and gets up again, not saying anything but grips his knife even harder. He grabs the man and drags him away from his family by a few feet. Joker flops down in front of him, seeing the man beginning to cry.

"You, my friend, are a coward just like the others." He states, twirling the blade in his hand.

"Please, please. Take my wife, take my son, take me hou-" He is interrupted.

"Take your son?" The Joker said darkly.

"Just don't kill me. Seriously, I beg of yo-" He is interrupted again.

Joker grabs his face, placing the blade inside of his mouth. "Why so serious?" He asks easily. He forces the knife to cut through the man's right cheek then his left. The man isn't dead but soon will be. He lays on the floor with a smile carved in his face from ear to ear. The Joker stands, looking down at the man and wiping the blood off onto a cloth that is near by. He shrugs and turns to sit back on the couch. The two thugs walk back in, carrying a duffel bag full of money and look down at the body, afraid to ask questions.


	2. Chapter 2

**So far three reviews and nothing but positive. I think I will continue this story, most defiantly.**

Sarah wakes at about 8:30 pm. Her cell phone indicates a missed call from her mother, not to mention countless miss calls from her friend Katie. A voicemail states her mother will not be able to make it to the house until late into the morning. Sarah sits up and begins to dial Katie's number while trying to find clothes to wear to Jake's party. 

"Hey girl hey!" She hears Katie scream into the phone.

"Where you at?" Sarah asks, putting a pair of white shorts on.

"I am getting ready to leave my house to go to Jake's place. You want me to swing by and pick you up?" She asks.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Mom can't make it home to have some mother-daughter bonding time." Sarah replies, grabbing a black tank top and shoving it over her head.

"What about your dad, where he at?" Katie asks.

Sarah glances into the mirror, "Probably still in Europe." 

They end the phone conversation and Sarah begins to put her hair in a high ponytail. She fix's her make-up from the earlier day and sets off down the stairs into her kitchen. She pours a glass of water and stares at her reflection in the mirror. Raising an eyebrow she sees one of the men next door standing outside smoking a cigarette and talking on a phone. She turns when she hears a honk, signifying Katie is outside and waiting impatiently. She grabs her bag, making sure her pepper spray is in it, and sets off towards the car.

Once in, she hears music being blared and laughter coming from her friend. She has just hung up the phone, obviously talking to tonight's hook up. She zooms from her friend's drive way and sets off towards Jake's house. Sarah glances over at the neighbors house and sees the two men pile into a van and take off. Sarah bites the inside of her lip as Katie speeds down the main street, and into the country near Jake's house. His house is perfect for a party. It is almost in the middle of nowhere and cops rarely drive through. The two girls talk as they approach the driveway in which many cars are already parked. Unknowingly the van from Sarah's neighbors house drives by after the two girls are out of Katie's bug and walking into the house.

Sarah is greeted by many people who are already drunk and high. Sarah smiles and walks into the kitchen.

"Sarah! The woman of the night!" Jake yelled to her, placing a pair of red, white, and black beads around her neck. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Yeah," She said looking down at the beads, "Give me a glass of Captain Morgan mixed with Sunny Delight." She says as she looks to Jake. He quickly nods and goes off to mix the drink.

Jake is a friend of Sarah's and has been since the fifth grade. The two would always cause trouble ranging from stealing other kid's crayons to pushing kids down on the playground. She looks down at the beads again and thinks they are odd color choices. _Red, black, and white._ Their school colors are green and silver. 

"Here you go my lady." He said bowing down and handing her the drink.

Sarah can't hold her laughter back as she takes the drink from him. She sips it and it tastes wonderful. The two head out back and sit down on the deck. 

"You got any tonight?" She asks him, taking a seat and setting her drink down on the table.

Jake smiles at her and fishes a bag with a white powder inside. Coke. Sarah and Jake are each other's dealers in a sense. One always has the nose candy, no matter what. Sarah takes a gulp of her drink as Jake prepares the lines. Jake snorts his two as Sarah gets up to snort her three lines he has laid out. She places the rolled up dollar bill to her right nostril and hold down the other. One by one, the three lines disappear into Sarah. She places the bill down and walks away, her hands on her hips and her head tilted towards the night sky. She breathes in a few times, getting the coke residue from the path it took. She wipes her nose in case any powder is left. 

"Your turn next time." He says laughing to her and walking inside. 

Sarah turns and grabs her drink to follow him. Her pupils has began to dilate when Katie runs up to her, laughing. There is no doubt in Sarah's mind that Katie has just finished smoking a bowl with some people. 

"This party is so much fun!" She yells and throws her arms around Sarah. 

Sarah giggles and takes her friend's hands from around her shoulders. Sarah walks away, still drinking away at her drink. She bums a cigarette from someone, not having cigarettes of her own due to the fact she doesn't smoke unless she is high or drunk. She exhales as she looks around at all of the party goers who are busy either dancing on people or sucking the lips off of the other people's faces. Rolling her eyes, Sarah walks around, back into the kitchen to see someone doing a keg stand. Sarah gulps down the rest of her drink and sets her glass down, hearing people yelling and scrambling to get out of the house. Katie grabs Sarah's arm out of nowhere yelling something about cops being outside. Sarah found it odd that cops would come to the country at this time of night. Sarah walks to the window and peers out, seeing only two cop cars, their lights flickering. A knock at the door is heard. 

No one wants to answer the door. Everyone is fucked up beyond belief. Sarah's heart rate is beginning to increase, her cheeks beginning to become flushed. The door is kicked open and two policeman walk in, pushing people out of their way. Sarah finds a hiding spot near the stairwell. She remembers she forgot her purse which contains her I.D. _Shit._ She quickly runs over to the direction her purse is in. 

"Looking for something Miss?" She heard an odd voice call out to her. 

Sarah turns, barely seeing anything due to the lights being cut out. She squints her eyes but all she can see is just a pale face and nothing else. It feels as if her heart is in her throat, she has never gotten this close to being arrested. 

"How about to turn around for me so I can pat you down." The officer barked out to her.

Something isn't right. Sarah can sense it. She feels her pepper spray in her purse and grabs it before turning around.

"Isn't a, uh, female cop supposed to do this?" Sarah asked him, unsure of the actual rules.

"Don't you think it would be more enjoyable for you and me if I did it?" He answers back, his hands touching her sides.

Sarah's brows furrow, unsure of what to say back. She doesn't want to say anything because she is under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. She feels his gloved hands slither down her exposed thighs, feeling that something is defiantly not right. His hands begin to travel back up her legs until they get closer and closer to a certain spot. Triggers began to go off in her head. 

_There is no way this is a cop._

She turns around quickly and aims the pepper spray at his face. Her finger presses down, sending the burning liquid directly into his eyes. She hears her name being called out in the distance as the cop cries out in pain. She knees him in the gut and takes off running, purse and pepper spray in hand. She doesn't bother to look back to see if she is getting chased. She finds Katie getting into her car and races to the passenger side door. Sarah gets in just at the right moment as Katie decides to floor it into reverse. They take off, Sarah turning in her seat to see if the cops were trying to follow them. 

"Those weren't real cops." Sarah stated, looking at the taillights in front of her.

"What do you mean? Of course those are real cops! They have the cars and the badges!" She shouts frantically.

"One of them tried to feel me up. Plus, did you see anyone get arrested?" Sarah asked looking to her friend.

That is a point. The cops were just roughing people up. Not one person was placed under arrest. Sarah's hands begin to fidget in her lap. Katie looked down at questioned her about something on her hands. Looking down, Sarah saw white looking face paint. Her brows furrowed as she raises her hand to get a better look. Sarah doesn't remember touching anything that had white face paint. They are at Sarah's house quicker than she thought she would be. She gets out quickly and runs to her door. All the lights are off and her mother's car isn't in the driveway. Katie screeches away, hurrying to get home. Sarah goes upstairs into the bathroom, still puzzled by the substance on her hands.


	3. Chapter 3

The word had gotten around the city, and the police department, about what happened at Jake Griffin's house the previous night. The next day there are policemen at the school, questioning students who are suspected to have been at the party. The police have already interviewed almost everyone on the list, getting down to the very last name.

Sarah walks into the room, rather uncomfortably. She is instructed to take a seat.

"So Miss Mertueil, fancy seeing you on the list." Officer Gordon begins.

Sarah quickly looks out of the window. Sarah was arrested the previous year on the charge of possession. Sarah had the charges dropped thanks to her parent's connections.

"Yeah… how about that." Sarah said with sarcasm in her voice.

"Look, we need information about the impersonation of policemen from last night." Gordon said, taking a seat on the desk behind him.

"I don't really know anything. I was just coming back in when everyone started to yell cops. I got out of there as quickly as I could…" She said, fidgeting with her jeans.

"Sarah, we know you're lying. Your friend Miss Willows stated you had an encounter with a man." He said, referring down to a piece of paper.

"No no. I really don't know anything." Sarah said standing. "Now I have a class to attend so if you don't mind I need to go." She says quickly, opening the door and leaving.

Sarah is full of lies. She has no intention of returning to class. She walks from the building, passing two policemen on her way out. She quickly takes her keys from her purse and gets into her car. She exhales slowly as she rests her head on the seat. She just doesn't understand why it is a big deal. There is nothing going on in Gotham, well nothing out of the ordinary. It has been weeks since the last Two-Face sighting and Sarah is more than happy about that.

--

A few weeks have gone by, the scandal barely being talked about. Sarah hasn't bothered with going back out to parties in those few weeks. Tonight is different. Something about tonight makes her feel as if everything is healed and a new night is at hand.

She stands in front of her closet, wondering what to wear. Sarah and Katie are planning on going to the first party at Jake's house since that night. Katie is sitting on Sarah's bed, watching as Sarah throws clothes at her. Sarah finally settles with a purple top and a pair of black shorts with a pair of black flip flops that connect around the ankle. She puts her hair in her trademark ponytail, her make-up neutral.

--

They pull up to the overcrowded drive way and make their way up the familiar path. People are laughing and once again, Sarah is greeted by many of her friends and classmates. Jake finds her quickly, bringing a guy along with him. He is pale and rather cute. He has curly dirty blondish hair. As the two got closer, Sarah can see scars next to his mouth. Sarah is instantly turned off. The man appears shy as Jake and himself approach.

"Sarah! I want you to meet someone. Sarah, this is Jack Napier." He said, smiling towards her.

Sarah's eyes looked him over and replied sarcastically, "Charmed I'm sure." Laughter being heard in her voice.

"Don't mind her Jack, Sarah is a bitch." He tells him, handing Sarah her usual drink.

"Yeah, I've come into contact with a few of them. The scars ruin it." He said, looking rather nervous.

Sarah agrees in her mind with him. She takes a sip from her drink and tries to act like a decent human being.

"They aren't that noticeable." She assures him.

"Shall we?" Jake inquires looking at the two in front of him.

"We?" Sarah asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't worry Sarah, he is the one providing." Jake says flicking his nose.

Sarah looks from Jake to Jack. She bites the inside of her lip and drinks more from her cup. She walks past the both of them and upstairs, to Jake's parents bedroom.

Once they are in, Jack takes out a bag full of cocaine, another bag containing little pills identified as ecstasy. Jack licks his lips. Sarah has her head tilted back, lips partly open. She takes another gulp from her cup, licking her lips afterwards. Jack's eyes have glanced from the bag of drugs and Sarah. Jake is currently separating the coke into lines, enough for the three to snort. Sarah keeps glancing from the drugs to Jack. Jake takes out a dollar bill and rolls it quickly, snorting the line and sitting back. Jack goes next, acting the same Jake does.

"Pussies." Sarah muttered, laughing.

She takes the rolled up bill and snorts two lines quickly. She set the bill on the table and sits back, breathing in through her nose. Her eyes flutter shut as she licks her lips. She picks her cup up and drinks the very last of her drink. Jake offers to refill it, giving him an excuse to return to the party. Sarah hands the cup over to him and hears the door shut. All that remain in the room are Sarah and Jack.

"So, Jack." She begins.

"So, Sarah." He replies. She giggles lightly.

"How do you know Jake?" She asks, opening her eyes, glancing over to him.

Jack leans back, flipping the dollar bill in his fingers. His legs are spread, the one hand laying on his thigh. He has an eery look in his eyes.

"We met through mutual friends." He simply states.

The door opens. Jake is returning to hand her the refilled cup. He looks down at Sarah, questions lurking in his eyes. Sarah waves her hand to let him leave. She takes a sip from her drink and sets it on the table the coke once was. Her insides are telling her to get out of the room, however Jack has this luring presence she never noticed when they were downstairs.

"Do you want to know how I got these scars?" He asks, his face hidden by darkness.

"No, I don't. I want to know why you are still sitting in that chair and not over here kissing me." Sarah replies, her heart pounding.

She hears him laugh. "Why don't you come over here?" He asked her.

"I'm shy." She answers. She grabs her drink, leaning over to try and see his face better. His pale skin glimmers in the light that hit certain spots. She sips her drink and places it on the table.

Sarah pushes herself up from the chair and begins to walk towards him, pulling her purple top off. She tosses it carelessly to the floor. Jack doesn't move from his original position. She leans down, her hands smoothly climbing up his thighs. He moves his hand out of the way in order for Sarah to place herself on his lap. She runs her fingers through his curly hair, grabbing it to pull his face back to meet hers. Her fingertips glide across his lips. She brings her lips down to his, in a drunken fashion. She shuts her eyes as her lips meet his, Jack keeps his open. She bites his lower lip causing him to grunt, opening his mouth enough for her to invade his mouth with her tongue.

The door opens causing Sarah to quickly bring herself away from Jack. It was just a random couple wanting to hook up. Sarah grabs her shirts and her drink and quickly walks from the room. Her cheeks are scarlet red, realizing she just made out with a complete stranger.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your reviews. Now, it's time to get into the mind of Sarah Mertueil and Jack Napier. By the way, this is set before Jack actually becomes The Joker. It shouldn't be too long before Jack's new identity is officially introduced. Enjoy!**

Sarah sits on her bed, her legs tangled under her body. She runs her hands through her hair. She is completely unsure of the 'Jack' guy she met earlier in the night. There is something about him that is completely relaxing and yet completely terrifying. Sarah isn't a girl who just sits back with a stranger and partakes in the intake of an illegal drug nor a little sexual situation. She prides herself on that. Katie is the one who will find whoever she can to fuck for the night.

Sarah moves her shoulders, trying to relieve a small pain that is beginning to form in her back. Her eyes dart back and forth as she tries to figure the man out and to come completely down from her coke high. She lays on her back, wanting the taste of alcohol in her mouth. She combs her fingers through her hair. Tilting her head to the side, she begins to think of the man's scars.

His scars look poorly healed. She figures he comes from a poor background in which they didn't have money to get stitches or whatever else could have helped.

--

Jack sits in the house next to the girl who was straddling him earlier that night. _Lovely girl, personality is a killer_. He replays the scene of her being rather snotty, _'Charmed I'm sure'_. His blood boils. If they were alone at that moment he would have carved her face. Thoughts of kidnapping her and bringing her next door began to creep into his troubled mind. His plan after that is to tie her wrist and ankles to a chair and execute any type of torture he could think of.

Glass shatters as his fist connect with the mirror in front of him. His head is bowed, his fists completely drenched with his own blood. He hates it when people think they are better than him. Ever since he was a young boy he would get picked on for being poor. It wasn't in his power to make his father not waste every last bit of money on booze.

He removes his fist from the mirror and rinses water over it, not bothering to wrap it up. He walks from the bathroom to the deck outside. He lights a cigarette and sits on the chair. Looking over to Sarah's house, he sees all lights are off. He has noticed it is mainly Sarah living in the house. Her mother comes in at all different hours due to her job and her father is constantly away for his job. They, unknowingly, leave Sarah at risk for harm. His mind began to set up a plan as he sits there, alone and in the dark.

_She'll be charmed when I am carving a beautiful smile on that rather sour face._

--

"So you haven't seen your neighbors at all recently?" Katie asks as she applies more tanning lotion.

"Nope. Not one bit. It's kind of odd too. Typically their son is running around in the backyard playing on his tire swing or something." Sarah replies, looking from her pool to the neighbors house.

"Maybe they went on vacation or something?" She asks, turning on her stomach.

"Katie, their son is in school. Why would they go on vacation during the middle of school?"

"It's just a thought. Anyways, what are you going to be doing tonight?" She asks.

"Dad is coming home. Mom will be home early so we might end up going out to eat or something. No parties for me at all tonight." She says, placing her hands behind her head.

Katie goes on talking about how Sarah will be missing out on all the fun of the drunken parties. Sarah's mind drifts back to Jack. She has found herself thinking more and more about him ever since her incident in which she was straddling him at the party. In her mind she completely blames the alcohol more than the cocaine. She cocaine just makes her energy soar and she gets fidgety. Sarah can't place something in her mind about Jack. She is unsure if his scars intrigue her or disgust her.

Sarah spoke to Jake earlier, asking about Jack but Jake didn't have any answers to her questions. He made a remark along the lines of Sarah having a crush on Jack in which Sarah quickly denied. Someone like her doesn't develop crushes on someone like Jack. Sarah, in her mind and to many in the school, is above many people. Her money status is what causes people to treat her better than what she is really worth. The word 'bitch' has been used in conjunction with her name so she thinks it as a nickname now.

She reaches for her strawberry daiquiri, still ignoring Katie. She places the straw to her lips and sucks the smoothie through. She leans the seat up and applies more tanning lotion to her stomach.

"Sarah, are you listening to me?" Katie asks, taking her drink in her hand.

Sarah's head snaps towards her friend. "Yeah, how can I not?" She says with a tight smile.

Sarah looks at her friend and wonders why it is she puts up with her. Sarah and Katie are two completely different people. Sarah is headstrong and stubborn. Katie listens to Sarah's commands and is quick to oblige. Katie has no backbone unless she is around Sarah, trying hard to be like her. She slides off of her chair, saying something about a shower. Katie excuses herself and leaves, a little upset at the way Sarah has been acting lately.

Sarah looks at herself in the bathroom mirror, completely nude. She hates her thighs. She hates her arms. She opens a drawer for a facial scrub and feels wetness hit her top lip. She quickly looks at the mirror and sees her nose has started to bleed.

"Shit." She mutters and quickly grabs tissue.

It is the second time her nose has bled this week. It will stop in a matter of seconds but knowing she has caused her nasal cavity to erode itself gets to her. She feels a little panic rise in her throat. She removes the tissue and looks at the crimson liquid on the tissue. She hopes while she is out for dinner with her parents her nose will decide not to leak into her salad. She turns the shower on and quickly jumps in, her mind still lingering on her nose and Jack.

--

Jack watches through a window as a silver Mercedes pulls into Sarah's driveway. He watches as Sarah's mother runs out of the house and into the man's arms.

"Hmmm… must be daddy." He mutters.

This is the first time Jack has gotten a good look at Sarah's parents. Her mother has aged like fine wine. Sarah gets her thick hair from her mother, obviously. Her mother's hair is cut short but frames the woman's delicate face. She has a strong jaw line and very plump lips. Her mother is about 5'9" and somewhat curvy. Sarah's father has nicely cut blond hair and a medium build. He has a strong jaw line as well, though with Sarah's jaw no one could tell. Her father has an olive color to his skin, her mother a rather fair color.

He looks back at the house and wonders what Sarah is doing at the moment. No doubt the little 'family' will have a nice outing. It's not the time for him to make his appearance just yet. The time isn't right yet. He needs to get more information on Sarah and her family. Shouldn't be too hard. He needs to get in touch with the Jake character again. Through him he can really get to Sarah. It won't present itself as a challenge due to Jake's real connections with Jack. Jake knows of Jack's wishes as far as the city of Gotham goes, he just wants to see it burn. Jake supports the plan and will unknowingly assist him in more ways than one.

**Okay, so I have had major writer's block with this story. I just get stuck at certain parts and then leave it alone for a few days, trying to think of something that is mostly filler or whatnot. I have the next chapter or two in my mind so I imagine leading up to them is what causes my brain to shut off. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully a new chapter will be out quicker than this one was.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, I have gotten more so into what will be easier to write in this story. Yay! So this means there will be more updates to this story.**

**Thanks for your reviews! I love them and review some more. Or I take your Joker away… Joking, of course.**

Sarah is out of the shower in a matter of ten minutes and quickly trying to dry her hair. She hears the name of the restaurant that Bruce Wayne owns, wishing they would go somewhere regular instead of somewhere fancy. She dresses quickly in a nice black dress that covers pretty much everything it needs to. The collar is almost in the form of a turtle neck but not as fluffy. It has long sleeves and stops about mid-thigh. Sarah quickly fixes her make-up, nude look but with dark eyes- and runs downstairs.

"Hello daddy!" Sarah says with a fake tone of innocence in her voice.

"Sarah, how is my beautiful daughter doing?"

"I'm wonderful. How was your trip?" She asks, bringing her hands together in front of her and smiles at her father.

"It was interesting. We got them to sign, which is what we wanted the most." He says, giving his daughter a smile.

"Well, who is hungry?" Her mother asks.

--

Jack sits in the room he has claimed his with a variety of Joker cards from hundreds of different packs. He examines each card, making sure each joker wasn't a happy joker but a dark one. He glances up and watches Sarah and her parents load into the car and drive off. Jack instantly gets up off of the floor and heads out of the house. He looks around and up at the sky as he walks down the street. _Soon the lights will die out and the city of wonder will be mine._

He walks up the stairs to the Mertueil residence and grabs the doorknob. Locked. He pulls out a knife and another object. He fiddles with the lock for a few seconds until it is undone and the door is pushed open by the intruder. He shuts the door and smells the perfume Sarah sprayed on herself before she left, same perfume from the night at the party. He walks around the downstairs. He walks to the kitchen, taking a look at a few of the house knives. He takes a cherry from the refrigerator and walks into the living room. There are pictures of Sarah as a child to her teenage years. There are pictures littered around of her mother and father.

"Hmm…"

He walks upstairs looking in each room, his only interest is Sarah's room. He opens the door and sees just how messy this girl really is. Clothes are scattered everywhere, shoes are missing their other half, glasses are empty or full… this girl is a mess. He walks around and goes through her underwear drawer, looking at the variety of panties, thongs, g-strings, and regular brief underwear. He pulls a pair of black underwear from the drawer, he cocks an eyebrow and smirks.

_She plans to have sex one day… or already has._

He puts the panties in his pocket and keeps looking around. He finds pictures of her loved ones and friends. There is a Gotham High Newspaper laying on her bed with a picture of Batman on the cover. The writer, Sarah Mertueil. His eyes scan through the paper, reading about how she praises Batman.

_In times like this, who do we have that can truly protect us from the criminals of Gotham City? The Police? No. They can handle the two rate criminals that steal old women's purses but can they truly handle themselves against what we have all seen in the past? The recent scandal with The Scarecrow has proven to many that Gotham's finest cannot handle everyone. So, who do we have to defend us in our time of need? Many call him a 'vigilante' and say he should be stopped. Myself, and others, have a completely different opinion. If it weren't for Batman, Gotham City as we know it would be Hell on earth. Batman is what Gotham city needs, not cops who are paid too much for doing nothing…_

Joker rolls his eyes, thinking of the way some people place Batman on a high level than others. Jack walks in front of a mirror and looks at himself. He tried the clown make-up once before and the more he looks at himself, the more and more the idea of a clown- A Joker- wanted to emerge. As of now, Jack is just a petty thief. Running around robbing people or doing jobs for others. That's not what he wants. He wants to see the world burn. He wants Batman to unmask himself, prove he really is a human and pathetic. Jack takes the newspaper from her room and walks out, quickly getting back to his 'house' before the family gets home.

_--_

_This is boring as fuck._ Sarah thinks to herself as her mother and father carry on a conversation. Sarah looks down at her plate, moving random bits of food with her fork. She tucks some hair behind her ear and hears her father's voice with a little bit of excitement.

"Bruce! How have you been?" He asks, standing up and shaking the mans hand.

Bruce smiles, "I've been wonderful, thank you for asking. Dinner with your family?" He asks, looking at Sarah's mother and then at her.

Sarah offers a tight smile. "Ah Sarah, you just keep getting beautiful each time I see you." He says with a charming tone in his voice.

"Thanks… kinda creepy." She mutters the last part. She looks back down at her plate, thinking about ramming food in her mouth to make her look less 'beautiful'.

"What are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be at a party or whatever it is you do?" Sarah's father asks with a amusing tone in his voice.

"Oh no, that's for later tonight. I am just dropping by and having dinner." He says, the same amount of amusement in his voice.

"Well, Mr. Wayne, you are more than welcome to join us if you like." Her mother offers.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose." He replies, glancing once more at Sarah, who now has a noodle hanging from her mouth. Bruce laughs again. "Maybe some other time we'll all have dinner together and discuss the current events and whatnot." He says giving a goodbye to each person at the table.

Sarah slurps the noodle up and waves goodbye. She catches the glare her mother gave her, Sarah quickly looks away. The rest of their 'family' dinner is spent with the two talking and Sarah wishing she could be out of the company of the two. She picks up her glass of wine and takes a sip from it, almost spitting it back into the glass. She forgets how much she **hates** wine.

--

Once again Sarah finds herself at Jake's house. She carries her drink in her hand, weaving in and out through people. She spots Jake and walks over to him.

"Hey love!" The two hug. "So… is Jack here tonight?" She asks, trying to hide the anxious tone in her voice.

Jake gives her a look and laughs, "Yeah, he is upstairs and out back." He points up stairs, the keg handle in his other hand.

"Thanks Jake." She says with a smile and practically pushes people out of the way to make it upstairs as quickly as she can.

She comes across the door that contains Jack. She opens it, peaking her head through and sees Jack on the balcony, a cigarette in hand, on the phone. Sarah smiles to herself and shuts the door so he can hear her come in. His head snaps around and quickly gets off the phone.

_Just the girl I want to see…_

"Hey you." She says, walking onto the balcony, looking over at him.

"Hey." He says in a monotone voice.

Sarah looks him over. His black shirt shows the biceps perfectly. _Weakness…_ His jeans around his waist are fit perfectly. He moves closer to the balcony, his wallet chain hitting the metal making a _click_ sound. His curly hair is down and seems as if it needs a washing. She glances at his scars momentarily and looks forward, taking a sip from her cup.

"So tell me, _Sarah_, why is it you work your way up here instead of being with your 'friends'?" He asks, standing next to her and exhaling his smoke.

Sarah glances to the left, watching a couple grope each other. She doesn't have a good excuse. "I… I wanted to apologize," She sees his look, "From the other night. I don't normally…" She widens her eyes to try and think more of an excuse, "Do **that** type of thing."

"You don't normally do coke?" He asks, wanting her to tell him what she really means.

Sarah glances over at him with a stupid look on her face. "No. I do coke, a lot. I mean… I don't normally climb on top of people…" She says, her cheeks reddening.

"But you do take your top off?" He asks, smiling and controlling laughter. He sucks the cigarette and blows the smoke out.

Sarah rolls her eyes and turns. "Whatever."

Sarah comes to a halt when she feels fingers grip her arm. She looks down at the area his fingers are gripping and up to his face. He yanks her back, making her stand in the same spot but only closer.

"Relax. I was **joking**." He says to her, smiling and taking another hit from his cigarette.

Sarah looks him over cautiously. He flicks his cigarette, exhaling once again. She takes a swig from her cup.

"So what's the real reason why you came to find me? Wanted another go at it or are you wanting to take a trip down 'Nose Candy Lane'?" He asks, his eyes meeting hers. "And don't lie. You're bad at it."

Sarah cuts her eyes at him and looks into the backyard. "I don't know. Really. I just wanted to see you… I guess." She says.

"Ah… so you are developing a little crush on me?" He asks, laughing once more and walking closer to Sarah. Sarah steps back. "It's kinda highschoolish Sarah. You the schoolgirl and me the older guy." Sarah's back is now touching the wall and Jack is close.

"I don't have a crush on you." She spits out, venom in every word.

"What is it then?" His voice lowering a few octaves. Jack's face is directly in front of hers, their eyes connecting and refusing to let go.

"You're intriguing." She says, raising an eyebrow. Not once has she ever met someone who makes her answer every question nor makes her feel as if she is just an eighteen year old, stupid girl.

"Ah, it must be the scars." He said laughing. "So tell me, are you wanting coke… or **me**?"


	6. Chapter 6

**So, new update. Thanks for all the reviews, it inspires me to keep writing to keep you all happy. Yay! Enjoy, relax and review. Awesome.**

Sarah stares up at Jack, uncomfortable with the closeness of their bodies. He smells of stale cigarettes and cheap cologne. She tries to move from her uncompromising position but Jack places a hand against the wall to stop her. He wants an answer. Sarah doesn't want to give him one. It's true that Jack has been on her mind ever since the night she was straddling his lap. The dangerous look in his eyes scares Sarah and yet draws her in.

She swallows hard. "Why not both?"

A smile comes upon his lips, his scars extending it. He steps back and pulls another cigarette from his pack, offering one to her in which she accepts. She downs the rest of her drink and places the cigarette in her mouth.

"You don't smoke much do you?" He asks, handing her the lighter. Sarah shakes her head.

"Are you accepting one from me to avoid some sort of rejection?" He asks sitting down on one of the balcony chairs.

"No. Sometimes I will smoke. It's not a big deal." She says, shrugging her shoulders and lighting the cigarette. She exhales it, coughing slightly.

She hears his laughter, knowing it is directed to her. She cuts her eyes at him.

"Why are you sitting so far?" He asks, placing a hand in his pocket.

"I'm not that far." She says, sucking on the cigarette and looking over at him, curious as to what he is fishing for.

"It is if we are planning on getting to know each other." He says, pulling the bag of a white substance out and smiling.

Sarah instantly perks up. She takes another drag on her cigarette and comes closer to him. _He does have a point._ She thinks. "Before we get to know each other, I am going to refill my glass." She says, holding up the empty cup.

She begins to walk towards the door, passing Jack as she does so. Once again, he grabs her wrist. She looks down at him.

"You're not attempting to get drunk to make it easier for you, are you?" He asks looking blankly ahead and then finally at her.

"No. I like to drink and do drugs. What is wrong with that?" She asks.

He lets go of her wrist and let her walk from the room. He smiles to himself. He is unsure as to how far this night will go. He knows he entices her thoughts. He takes a hit from his cigarette and stands up, flicking the stick away. He exhales as he walks into the room and moves a chair closer to the table. He takes the coke out and begins to makes six lines out of the substance. Just as he is done sucking the last line into his nose, Sarah walks in.

He sits back and watches her. She takes a gulp from her glass and sits down, opposite from him.

"No, no, no. Come here and do it." He says, indicating to his lap.

"Why? I can just do it over here." She says to him.

"It's my coke. You want it, you do as I say… or I can snort the rest of it myself." His smile gets even bigger.

She glares at him momentarily but stands up and saunters over to Jack. She takes another swig of her glass and positions herself on his lap. She feels his hands touch her hips. She lowers her face down and places the rolled up dollar bill on her nostril. His right hand slides up her shirt, feeling the warmth of her back.

_One Line._

His left grips tighter on her hip. His right hand slides back down from her back and onto her right thigh.

_Second Line._

His left hand slides along her left side of her torso and to her hair. Her soft locks entwining themselves with his fingers.

_Third Line._

His fingers grab her hair and pulls her back onto me. Her back now resting itself on his chest. Sarah's eyes are shut, her senses tingling. She breathes in through her nose deeply and exhaling through her lips. She isn't feeling the effects of the cocaine but feels the effects of the alcohol. She brings her right arm up and runs her own fingers through his dirty blond hair.

Jack's hands come to rest along her hipbones. Jack takes in her scent, the same scent that is intoxicating in her room. She feels Jack move underneath her. He ends up standing, Sarah in his arms. He walks them both outside and sets Sarah in a chair. She pulls her knees to her chest, her head resting on the back of the seat. She hears a lighter flick open and Jack is smoking another cigarette.

"Aren't you afraid of lung cancer?" She asks him, glancing over at the man who has been staring at her since he set her down.

"Not at all. I'm far more certain something else would kill me before lung cancer." He says, blowing smoke directly into her face.

Sarah scrunches her face up and turns her head. She looks up at the sky, her pupils beginning to dilate. Her mouth is slightly open. Sarah feels more high on weed than coke but she knows to wait a few more seconds or minutes to let the effect take over. Jack cracks his neck and returns his gaze at the girl across from him.

The smoke from his cigarette begins to dance in front of her face. She brings her hands up, trying to wave or catch the smoke in her hands. He giggles at her and flicks his cigarette over the balcony. The sounds of laughter is in the distance. Jack and Sarah, they are on a whole other plane. She hears the chair move, her head jerking harder than it needs to towards the sound.

She watches as his body comes closer to hers. She gulps and almost twitches. He grabs her arm and pulls her up, her eyes staying on his face. They walk into the bedroom, he pulls her close, and their lips meet in a crushing force. Jack kisses her as if he hasn't kissed anyone in a while. He devours her lips, hungrily. His hands cup Sarah's face, making sure her lips wouldn't leave his. The bad effect of coke on both, their sex drives speed up.

Sarah is still a virgin, however Jack has seen his fair share of one night stands, just not many since the scars. Sarah opens her eyes slightly and sees that his are shut, taking in the feel of her lips even more. Her mind scatters and through the coke she wonders if this is how she really will lose her virginity. She doesn't believe in love so there really is no 'Mr. Right' to come along and take it. Hell, if it sucks, Sarah will just blame the booze and the coke.

She feels Jack begin to take steps forward, forcing her to back up until her legs hit the bed. Sarah places her hands on his arms, almost trying to push him away. She is completely unsure if she wants to go through with this action. Jack's hands have begun to roam down her body as she breaks the kiss.

"Jack… I don't think I can do this.." She says, not looking into his dark eyes.

He looks down at her, disappointment and anger showing in his face. "What do you mean?"

"I… I barely know you and…" She starts but is cut off.

"You're a virgin." He says, a hint of amusement in his voice.

He backs up about three inches and looks down at her. "So you're telling me that you will just snort my cocaine, tell me that you will have a little round in the sack and then back out?"

Sarah glances over at the door and back at him. "Yeah, that sounds like it pretty much."

"All because we don't know each other that well and because you're a virgin. You waiting for Mr. Right or something?" He asks, irritation growing in his voice.

"No," She rolls her eyes, "I don't believe there is a Mr. Right or whatever…"

He leans down, their faces inches from each other. "Then what's the fucking problem, Sarah?"

A cold chill comes over her body. She wants out of the room, now. She glances over at the pretty much full cup and wishes she is wasted at the moment, maybe Jack wouldn't be as scary right now. Maybe if she was drunk she'd be on her way to losing her virginity to a man she barely knows.

Jack furrows his brows in an intense anger. Sarah shifts uncomfortably. "Look… maybe if we get to know each better or something I would be more willing to… have sex… with you." She says, meeting his gaze that has never left her face.

"Get out." He says, his voice too calm for comfort.

"What?" She asks, taken aback.

"Sarah, get the fuck out of the room right now." He says, turning his back on her and walking to the balcony.

"No. You think you can just tell me to get out just because I won't have sex with you! You have another fucking thing coming if you think I'll leave." She says, picking her drink up and walking to the seat across from Jack, taking its place.

Jack reaches his hand in his pocket, feeling a cold object. He clenches it, wanting nothing more than to cut out her tongue. He quickly lights a cigarette and glances down at the girl. She is sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, her cup right underneath her lips. He watches as she takes a gulp from her cup, continuously staring out into the dark sky. He exhales smoke and sits down in the chair, still wanting to assault her.

"Well…" He says, trying his best to hide his anger, "What do you do for fun?"

Sarah glances over at him and back down at her cup. "This." She mutters, taking another gulp from her drink.

"This? You sit and pout like a spoiled little rich girl when someone gets an attitude with you?" He asks, taking another hit off of his cigarette.

"You know what Jack," She stands, "I am sick of you insulting me. I haven't done anything to you really and yet you persist. So why don't you just go back to the trailer park where you came from." She says, walking from the balcony, through the bedroom, and out the door.

"I never lived in a trailer park you fucking cunt!" He shouts back at her, before she is able to shut the door.

That night he vowed to himself that Sarah Mertueil will be pay.


	7. Chapter 7

**A while ago I made little 'signature' pieces because I use to roleplay online. I have put up three of my old signatures to give you all an idea as to what all of my characters look like. **_**Sarah Mertueil **_**is underneath my description, for lack of a better word, of this story. It's located on my main profile. I thought about not putting them up but I decided to go ahead with it. **_**Lydia Faith Valmont**_** for 'Faces of Evil' is up as well as **_**Leah Riddle**_** for 'Cold Pureblood'. I will most likely redo the Faith Valmont though. **

**Anyways, on with the show. Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and alerts! Without you all, I would be a stupid writer with no audience. Read, review, and enjoy!**

**Also, please note, there will be some alternate words that ignorant people call homosexuals in this chapter. I do not advocate discrimination nor do I support the words used in the chapter. The only reason why they are in the chapter is to show you all the abuse and torment Jack went through as a child and a teenager. Many of best friends as homosexual and I love them to death. So please, do not take the words the wrong way nor hate me for using them.**

"_Come on Jack! Don't be a pussy, where did you go?" Older voices call out to him. _

_Jack Napier is about twelve years old and gets teased and tortured on a regular basis. Jack is hiding in a ditch, underneath the streets. The school bus just dropped the twelve year old off as well as the older teenage boys from age thirteen to fifteen. Ever since the first day of middle school he has been pushed around and constantly made fun of._

"_Come on queer! If you come out now it won't be so bad on you!" The oldest and leader of the group of boys calls out._

_Jack looks around, hearing their voices come closer. If he doesn't make a sound then that means they won't be able to find him. He can dart out from underneath this moment haven and make a run for his house. It's two houses down from the area he is at also across the street. _

"_Come out, come out, wherever you are!" A voice calls out to him. _

_He feels a thug on his haggard jacket and he is pulled from his hiding spot. The boys are laughing as they throw him down to the ground and begin kicking and spitting on him. The leader of the boys picks Jack up and begins to drag him towards the old abandoned house one house down. All the while, Jack is screaming, begging to be let go. _

_Jack is thrown to the dusty floor and kicked once more in his sides. His body is wracked with pain as he tries to scramble to get out. No such use. The boys hold him down as the leader known as Tommy Miller, walks forward with objects in his hand._

"_So you're a little fairy huh? I've never seen a girl even talk to you once! You're a fag. But you don't look like one… yet." He says _

_Tommy takes the top off of some foundation his sister wore for Halloween. He began to smear the white face paint all over Jack's face. Jack tries to jerk his head away, only to get punched in the lip. The white is covering a little over half of his face._

"_Next you need eye shadow!"_

_Tommy opens a black container, once again used by his sister. He begins to slap it onto Jack eyes, not caring if the paint actually came into contact with his eyes or his skin. Jack is beginning to look like a zombie due to the white face paint and the black surrounding his eyes._

"_Lastly, you are going to need something to cover that scar on your lip! No guy wants to make out with someone who has a scar on their lip!" _

_Tommy pulls out a red container. He dips his fingers into the container and begins to smear the red all over his lips. Jack tries to bite him but is no use. Tommy continues to smear it onto his cheeks, giving Jack the appearance of smiling. He pulls his hand away._

_Laughter. Laughter is all Jack could hear. The boys let go of Jack's arms and legs and looked down at the terrified little boy. Jack covers his ears in an attempt to cut the laughter off. It doesn't work. Jack lets out a scream. Tears begin to pour down his cheeks as the laughter gets more intense. He looks up at his attackers, wanting nothing better to do than to murder each and every one._

_Jack pushes himself up and quickly lunges after Tommy. Tommy hit's the ground with a loud thud. Jack begins to thrash at his face. The other boys are unsure what to do. They see how Jack is unmercifully tearing at Tommy's face, a strange laughter emitting from the painted boy. Blood is under Jack's fingernails, blood is on his hands. Jack grabs a hold of Tommy's head and begins to thrash it against the old, creaky floors. _

_Laughter. Jack is laughing. It feels as if sweet revenge is occurring. He feels the power he has now. The power of revenge. The other boys aren't doing anything to help their near death friend, fear taking a hold of their senses. _

_Jack ceases smacking Tommy's head into the floor. He stands and turns, a demented grin on his face. The boys back away in fear, droplets of blood rush from Jack's fingers onto the floor. Jack begins to laugh, stepping towards the frighten boys. Jack passes them, grabs his book bag and walks from the abandon house._

_His smile is still plastered onto his face. _

**Short I know. I have a friend's birthday dinner to get ready for. But when I get home, whenever that may be, I will quickly write and update this and the other story.**

**I thought this would be a good filler type chapter, to help explain why Jack begins to wear the face paint and why he always laughs. I made it up completely and take full credit for it. Anyone steals it, I'll be the worst damn flammer you can ever imagine. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**So my laptop's charger thing fizzled out I think. I heard fizzzzzzzzz and then it stopped charging. So now I am writing out my stories first and then typing it out on my downstair's computer. So it will take me like an hour or five minutes longer to get updates up.**

**N0ttheSun, I sent you a message but I'll go ahead and clarify it through this. Chapter seven was just a flashback. Kinda a filler chapter because I had to think of how I was going to do this chapter. Jack is twelve in the flashback and doesn't have his scars just yet. As for the one night stands and the scars, he won't be getting his scars until after he loses his virginity and what not. I hope I answered your questions and if not, let me know!**

**Thank you all for your reviews! I love the fact that you all review giving me feedback. It makes me want to write more, knowing you all want to read it! Now, on with the chapter!**

Jack stands infront of the mirror applying black face paint to his eyes. Tonight is the night in which 'he' finally gets to live. Jack's true personality. He applies the red around his lips and along his scars. He turns away from the mirror and into his bedroom, picking up a pistol and a knife. He places them in a pocket of his haggard jacket, walking from the bedroom. Two men in clown masks are waiting.

"Ready boys? We've been over everything that will happen tonight so I expect no screw ups." He says with a stern tone.

The two nod. He nods his head and walks towards the door.

A knock is heard at the Mertueil door. Sarah's mother walks from the kitchen, glancing at her sitting husband. Another knock. She opens the door, feeling a force help push it open. She lets out a scream as she is pushed back, a gun barrel in her face. The other man in a clown mask is standing next to Sarah's father, a gun aiming at his chest.

"Mom! Dad! We finally... meet." A voice calls out, his voice lowers at the end.

A man walks in, painted face and all. He moves slowly, being able to take in the shocked, fearful, and confused faces. He smiles.

"Who the hell are you?" Keith Mertueil asks with anger rising in his voice.

"She didn't mention me at all?" He asks, a false shock tone in his voice. He glances over at Keith's wife as he asks the question.

"Victoria, do you know this clown!?" He asks accusingly.

She responds with a vigorous head shake.

"No, no, no. Not _Victoria_. Your daughter." He says, leaning against the doorframe to the stairs, smiling. "Where is she, by the way?"

"You stay the hell away from my daughter!" Victoria screams at him.

Smiling at Sarah's mother, "Oh Mrs. Mertueil... if you only knew."

Running water is heard from upstairs. "Oh, she must be getting ready. I never gave her a specific time I would come to see her." He says, now in the kitchen.

He picks up a cherry and walks back into the living room, near Keith, eyeing the cherry.

"I'm just wondering... do you think your daughter will taste as sweet... when I pop her cherry?" He asks with a smile on his face, popping the cherry in his fingers.

"You son of a bitch!" Keith said, trying to advance towards the man with the painted face.

"I'm sensing some hostility here... that's not good, _daddy_." He says, flicking the knife open from his pocket.

He walks towards Keith but stops as he hears the water cut off. The man's dark eyes shift towards the stairs and back at Keith.

"Tie them up. Tape their mouths shut and stash them downstairs." He says, placing the knife back in his pocket.

Once the parents are stashed, the man shuts out all of the downstairs lights. The bathroom door opens, Sarah emerging with a towel wrapped around her body. Her brows furrow at the oddness at the lack of lighting.

"Mom? Dad?" She calls out.

Pushing her curly, wet hair from her face, Sarah descends the stairs. She calls out again to her parents but receive only silence. She flicks the light to the living room on and is paralyzed with fear. The coming of the lights reveals a man sitting on the couch.

"Hello Sarah." His voice lightly.

She stands in the same spot for a few moments before turning and running to her room. She slams the door behind her and begins screaming cuss words. Her cell phone is in the bathroom, disabling her need to call for help.

"Sarah. You can open the door or I will open it myself." The voice comes from behind it.

"Go away! I'll call the police!" She screams out.

"With what?" Laughter heard in his voice. "I have your cell phone in my hand at this very moment."

Sarah frantically tries to search for clothing until a jiggle is heard from the doorknob. Her eyes freeze in terror as the lock is slowly unlocking. The door opens. Sarah is face to face with the man from downstairs.

"W-who are you?" She asks, her body and voice trembling.

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I am Joker, the." He says bowing and taking a step closer.

She has nowhere to hide. Her back hits the wall to put more distance between herself and the man who calls himself The Joker. Sarah shuts her eyes as she feels his breath on her neck.

"Please... don't hurt me." She whimpers.

He chuckles into her ear. "Don't worry Sarah. Hurt will come later. I give you my word."

His hand comes up and removes the towel from her body. His hands make their way to her hair, pulling her nude body into his.

"All this time... I've waited. Waited for this moment." He tells her, smelling Sarah's shampoo.

"Are you scared?" He asks, his hands still playing in her wet locks.

"Yes." She mutters, on the verge of tears.

"You shouldn't be." He pushes her away and turns to walk out. "Our fun has yet to begin. But it will soon."

With that said, he walks from the room and out of the house completely.


	9. AN Please read

**A/N: In the flashback in chapter seven, Jack does not have his scars yet. He will when he is older. In the current chapters, in which it is not a flashback, Jack does have the scars. Jack is in his mid to late twenties. Probably mid because I see Joker being like 29 or 28 in the movie. I probably should have clarified in the seventh chapter that he does not have his scars when he was twelve. **

**I'll be updating later today!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The scar that I mention on Jack's lip is something I noticed in the movie. I just thought that I would bring that scar into the story before he got his 'smile' scars.**

Sarah's car is parked outside of Jake's house. She took up residence about a week ago, ever since a man named The Joker came into her house and almost scared her to death. Her mother tells her everyday that no one has returned for her so Sarah should be fine to return.

In Sarah's mind, returning is the last thing on her list. She is staying at Jake's house for a while, just until she feels it safe to return. Sarah chooses to stay at Jake's for three reasons. The first, she has known Jake seemingly forever. Second, she can only take her friend Katie for a certain period of time. Lastly, there is always the chance that Jack may stop by.

Once again, Jack has been swirling around in her thoughts. He's a horrible person, seemingly, but Sarah is determined to think that it's just an act. Sarah isn't the bitch everyone thinks she is, it's just an act. She is headstrong and is able to act as if things don't matter but when it comes down to her core, Sarah has a heart of gold. She feels bad for what she said to him the last time they were in each others presence but he had no right to act the way he was towards her.

Jack discovers through Jake that Sarah is staying with him for a while. To Sarah's delight, Jack comes by quite frequently. When Jack walked through the door the day after Sarah's near attack, Sarah ran to him and embraced him in the tightest hug she could give. Jack was taken aback at her action, Sarah not too sure why she hugged him either.

Ever since then, Sarah won't leave his side when he is at Jake's house. Sarah figures the reason why she gave Jack that hug, even though they had a nice little spat, is because even through all of Jack's toughness and hostility, he'll protect her when the time is right. His anger could take out a person all by itself.

Sarah is sitting next to Jack at the moment, her eyes slightly open as her mouth sucks in the weed from the pipe. Jack brought a quarter over, to Sarah's request, and packed it. She passes the pipe back to the man sitting next to her. The television is on but Sarah is having a difficult time processing what is going on. She catches smoke out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over at Jack, he has the pipe back in his mouth and the flame of the lighter pointed down into the bowl. She watches as he removes the pipe, holding the smoke in his mouth like a pro.

He hands the pipe back to Sarah, who takes it and watches him blow O's with the smoke. "How do you do that?" She asks him, shifting on the couch to make it to were she can face him.

"Do what?" He asks, blowing the rest of the smoke out of his scarred lips.

"Fix your hair that way. Blow the circles with the smoke?" She asks.

He stares at her for a moment before lazily placing his hands behind his head. "Skills." He smirks, looking at the television.

"I have skills. Why can't I?" She asks, looking down at the pipe and back at Jack.

"Your skills consist of spending your parent's money and being a tease." He glances at her.

She narrows her eyes at him and sits back down in the couch, placing the pipe to her lips again. _Even when we are smoking a relaxing drug he is a dick._ She puts the flame on the weed and begins to suck, taking in a mouthful of smoke. She removes the lighter, still sucking on the pipe until she removes it and blows the smoke back out. She sets the pipe on the table and lays back, glancing from the television to Jack every so often.

When Sarah smokes, she becomes the obnoxious giggler. When Jack smokes, he becomes relaxed and chill. Sarah starts to giggle. Jack glances over at her. She suppresses another giggle. Jack looks back at the television. She giggles again, trying to cover her mouth. Jack glances over at her once more, slightly irritated. "What's so damn funny?" He asks.

Sarah looks at him, a lazy smile on her lips. She shuts her eyes and shrugs. Jack narrows one eye at her but returns back to the television. Sarah scoots closer to him and sets her head on his chest. Jack is, of course, shocked by her action for a moment. He realizes it's the weed making her all happy on the inside. He places a hand on her head, running his fingers through her soft dark hair.

He stops when he hears Sarah's stomach rumble with hunger. Sarah places her hand on her stomach. "Wow. I am hungry…" She says, looking up at Jack.

Sarah pushes herself off of the couch and walks from the sun room and into the kitchen. Going through the cabinets she comes upon a box of mac and cheese. Sarah's eyes widen and quickly takes the box out and sets it near the stove. She puts water in a bowl, walking about one mile an hour, and places it on the coil.

Raising an eyebrow, a devilish smile comes across her face. She pulls herself up on the counter top, placing her head against a door.

"Jack! Can you come in here for a second?" She yells, throwing her shirt off.

In the sun room, Jack grumbles and pushes himself up off of the couch. He glances down at the pipe and back at the television. He stops, crossing his arms, eyes still on the television. The movie 'It' is on and it's getting to the good part. She hears Sarah call his name again. He rolls his eyes, "How hard is it to find," He stops in the doorframe, "Food?"

"I've found it… but the water takes so long to boil. I'm lonely." She says, her bottom lip pouting out.

Jack smirks and walks towards her. "And you think being shirtless will help with being bored?"

"It might help… you." She says, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Jack places his hands along the outside of her thighs, lightly rubbing them. "What makes you think I need any type of help?" His mouth curving into a grin, coming closer and closer to her lips.

A door opens and shuts. They both hear Jake call out to them. Sarah mutters a variety of curses as she jumps from the counter top to quickly put her shirt back on. Sarah is straightening her shirt out as Jake walks into the kitchen, eyeing the two strangely. Jack is leaning against the counter Sarah was just sitting on.

"What were you two doing?" He asks, walking to the fridge.

"Sarah, here, was trying to seduce me. Top off and everything." Jack says, taking a cigarette from his pack and lighting it up.

Sarah's face turns a violent shade of crimson and she puts the pasta in the boiling water. Jake laughs at the color Sarah takes on in her cheeks. She quickly walks from the room, into the sun room to continue finishing off the drug in the pipe. It isn't too long before the boys return to the room in which Sarah is quire comfortable in.

"Sarah, your water is boiling." Jake says, snatching the pipe from her fingers.

Jack watches as Sarah gets up and runs into the kitchen. The two guys sit down and turn the television on. "What do you have for me?" Jack asks, watching the other guy ignite the flame to the drug.

Jake blows out the smoke and passes the pipe to Jack. He pulls out a plastic bag full of cocaine; another bag full of marijuana; another bag full of the pill ecstasy. Jack looks at the bags carefully and sets them down, a smile on his face.

"Falcone give you any grief?" He asks before placing the pipe to his lips and light up.

"Not too much. Talkin' 'bout doing business with teenagers and other shit. Obviously you aren't a teenager or anything but havin' me go to him instead of you… he said he won't accept payment or anything else if I am the one handin' off to him next time." Jake says taking the offered pipe.

Jack sits there for a moment and nods his head. Falcone is the well established crime lord of Gotham's slimiest. It's a well known fact that he controls the Mayor, city council, and the Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb. Getting in on Falcone's good side is exactly what Jack wants to do for the moment, until he gets enough goons and thugs for his cause; then he will take the wonderful city of Gotham over.

"I'll deal with him later." Jack picks up his already lit cigarette and sucks the last bit of nicotine from the butt and puts it out.

"So you made any advances with Sarah yet?" Jake asks killing off the rest of the weed in the pipe.

Jack places his hands behind his head and smiles slightly. "Not quite. I'm not trying as hard as I can."

"So have you revealed your uh, little secret to her yet?" Jake asks, a nervous tone in his voice.

"That's the whole reason why she's here Jakey boy." That tone in his voice as if his face is painted. "I have ideas as to how I will alert Gotham to my being here."

"What about that new guy Batman? I hear he is trying to eliminate crime and whatever."

Jack begins to laugh slightly. "I'll deal with Bat-Fart if he gets in my way. He's got bigger fish to fry as far as I am concerned."

**Not an interesting chapter but I NEEDED to get this chapter out. It's been too long since this was updated. Also, I needed to show some dialogue between Jack & Jake as far as their 'friendship'. I promise the next chapter won't take as long to get up. **

**Yay!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Just to let everyone know, I have not forgotten about this story. My laptop's adaptor died so my laptop died. I got a new one yesterday.**

**Also, I have a new job at a daycare working with 1 to 3 year olds. I work pretty much all week until six at night and as you can imagine working with that young of children can tire you out. But have no fear, I am off on weekends AND I will be updating the story sometime today.**

**I'll still put out updates on the weekdays as well.**

**Just letting all of my readers know that I haven't forgotten about you or this story and you will most certainly get everything you want... I think.**

**Also, I am looking for a beta reader. So if anyone is interested please message me and let me know. We can work something out PLUS you will be the first one to read the chapters. Ouu, that is something you can't resist. Hahaha.**

**xx Jenna**


	12. Chapter 12

A month goes by and Sarah finally returned to her home. There is no sign of the man who likes to play with knives in the news or other victims. Her parents installed a security system the day after the attack and told Sarah to take a course in self-defense. She argued with them knowing full well that if that clown of a man were to come back, she would freeze up and do nothing.

Sarah is sitting at the lunch table, talking with her friends. Well, they are the ones talking; Sarah is zoning in and out of the conversation thinking about Jack and drugs. Ever since she has been 'seeing' him on a regular basis, she has dived further into her drug use. She keeps her appearance up to make sure no one worries or expects things but her grades have begun to slip. She cuts class frequently and when she is actually in class, she just sleeps.

She has lost all intentions of anything. She has dropped out of the girl's football and rarely plays volleyball and softball anymore. She would rather sit at Jake's house with Jack and smoke another blunt. Normally Sarah wouldn't stray off the path of pleasing her parents but now with Jack she just doesn't care. Before she met him, she would always use her manners, hang out with friends, smile a lot, and try a little too hard to impress her parents; her father more so than her mother. Now there are times she doesn't come home for a few days, she is crashed out on Jake's couch. Jake is the only one who drags her pathetic butt up and to school.

People say Sarah has taken a turn for the worse, surprisingly. Everyone knew of her coke habit, whether it was fact or fiction, and her need for drinking. Now rumors run rampant through the school she has started using heroin, crystal meth, and opium. The new three drugs are just rumor, she has enough sense to not to get tangled up with the highly addictive substances.

"Sarah? Sarah can you come with me please?" the principle is standing directly in front of her.

She furrows her brows and wonders how long he has been standing there. She thinks he knows she is doped up on weed. She stands, grabbing her purse and begins to follow him. She glances back at the group of girls who watch as she exit's the lunchroom.

"Did I do something… wrong?" She asks, trying to form a sentence.

"There is someone commanding you be turned over to him or he blows up the school." He spoke rather nervously.

"What? And you're going to? This is completely and utter bullshit." She stops walking and stands still.

"Ms. Mertueil I would appreciate if you didn't use that language with me. Now come one, I need to get you to the office." He said, raising his voice slightly.

"No. I have had it with you and this fucking school. As a matter of fact, I've had it with this fucking city. You are as corrupted as the Mayor, the police department… the Commissioner. So consider this my way of saying fuck you and fuck education." She points her middle finger at him and turns running to the parking lot.

She hears him screaming out her name using all sorts of threats. The double doors slam open and she continues to run. She pulls her keys from her purse. Looking over her shoulder to see if she is being followed, her body slams into a car. Her hands gets scraped by the gravel, as well as her knees. She pushes herself up, continuing to run to her car.

She is unsure why she is still running away from the school. Maybe it is fear that the person demanding to see her is somewhere near. She fears the principle or some teacher tried to follow her to drag her back into the prison called 'Gotham High'. She manages to unlock her car, her hands shaking as if her body is infected by tremors. Locking the doors, Sarah scrambles to get her cell phone and dial Jack's number. She drives along the road, waiting for an answer that will never come.

She throws the phone down and begins to scream cuss words. Passing streets and businesses she decides to head home. Police cars line the street as well as her parents. Pulling in, her mother comes to her with tears staining her cheeks.

"My baby, oh my baby! I thought you were dead… That man." She hugs Sarah so hard she feels oxygen is becoming an issue.

"Mom. What man?" She asks, anxious not to get the reply her mother is telling her.

"The man with the clown make-up, The Joker." She says as more tears come from her eyes.

Something in the distance blows up. Victoria screams out as Sarah's head snaps to the direction of the blast. Policemen rush to the families side, trying to usher them into the house. Sarah resists their forces as she runs back to her car to grab her cell phone.

The thoughts running rampant in her mind have to do with the safety of her parents, wanting Jack near, and did she really just quit high school? Her parents are everything to her, even though at times she feels nothing more than a burden to them. If she hadn't caught the attention of some odd sociopath they wouldn't be in danger at the moment. Who is this person that is wanting Sarah? This is a death situation; there is no living when it comes to something like a hostage and captor.

But then again, this is Gotham City. Gotham is the home of the criminally insane as well as the helpless. Who is here to help the helpless? Gotham is still going through the motions with the odd character who goes by the name 'Scarecrow'. Now there is a new player with the clown make-up who is planning on stepping up. But who is the one who is to help the others? He goes by the name of Batman. He is a new face that scares half of the population. Batman will be the one who saves her this time, she is sure of it.

Another blast is heard as Sarah is ushered quickly to the door and thrown in without much regard. She ends up tripping over her own two feet and falls flat on her face. She mutters something or another about how clumsy she is. Pulling herself up, she sees that her parents are watching the television anxiously waiting for more results on today's events. She gets closer and watches for only seconds as the high school is now in flames.

Her mouth is parted up, looking like a perfect blow up doll. Placing her hand over her mouth, she feels her mother rush over to her and embrace her in a tight hug. A single thought comes into her mind, _Did Jake make it out okay?_ She feels her knees buckle as she falls to the floor, watching the images of her high school get blown to the heavens.

"Now, obviously you didn't listen to me. I asked that you hand over one tiny girl and you get to keep your establishment of hell intact. So I don't have her… but I will. The game is just beginning Sarah. You will be mine." The voice spoke to her over the television.

She clenches her jaw as her mother holds onto her even tighter, letting out a sob. She holds her daughter even harder, not wanting to let go of her only child. She presses her head against her chest as her hand comes up and covers her ears, as if to block her from hearing the television reporter's voice. Sarah is rather uncomfortable. She hasn't been this close to her mother physically since she was pushed from her womb. She begins to push herself away from her mother so the sweating can stop as well as the sobbing into her ear.

"Mom… It will be okay. Just… let me go." She manages to say.

"You're my baby! I only have one of you… I can't go out and just have another one."

"Well, you actually you can. But with me," She tries to push herself away even more, "in this position… I am blocking your vagina. So… if you let me move… Ouch! Mom!" She yells out as her mother yanks her back down by her hair.

Sarah is yanked back down onto her mother's lap just as she thought she was getting away. She understands why her mother is reacting this way but she is still here at the moment and not gone. She is in her mother's arms and very unable to move at the moment. The young girl gives in and just sits in her mother's lap, uncaring if her mother gets stains from her mascara onto her shirt. All she can really do at this moment is pat her mother's head and assure that she is sitting here in her lap and not off dying somewhere.

The digital clock reads 12:01 AM. Sarah lays in her bed, staring up at the white ceiling. Tossing and turning in her bed, she wishes she had weed at the moment to help drift her off to sleep. Rubbing her hands across her face she lets out a large grunt of frustration. She sits up and pulls her cell phone near to see if Jack or Jake possibly texted or called her. She tosses her phone to the end of her bed at the blank screen. Sleep doesn't come easy to her. Ever since Sarah began to snort cocaine at the age of sixteen, her sleep patterns have been thrown off. It wasn't until recently when she began to smoke pot with Jack that she was able to fall asleep. Jack would always pull her close with his arm draped around her small form. Oh what she wouldn't give to feel his arms around her at this very moment.

Just what is it with Jack that Sarah can't get enough of? Jack is a new breed of male. He's different. Jack has that certain danger that Sarah has been craving ever since she hit high school. The boys all around her ever since freshman year were always too calm. Yes, there are the occasional guys who decide to spray paint the halls in the school but what danger is that?

Jack has the air of sexiness and cockiness that guys around town just don't have. Maybe it is because he is older than her but she shrugs that thought off quickly. He is able to supply her with the drugs her body and mind craves so that is a plus. The scars… Those scars are just apart of him. They use to make her feel a little fearful of him but after she got use to them, she loves that they are there. Sarah may seem a tad bit twisted thinking that but it doesn't concern her.

He is explosive and quick to anger and it excites her. She can't count how many times she would purposely get under his skin just to feel his grip get a little harder; his voice go a little deeper. Jack has been the only person so far to get her to back down, to give in. He frightens her at times and yet the fear excites the dead nerves in her body. His hands are rough against her smooth skin when they would get closer and closer to him taking her virginity.

He is surprisingly very convincing at whatever he sets his mind to. Sarah went out and got her tongue pierced at his suggestion. She has used it a few times since she got it pierced. The only thing he hasn't mentioned was sex. He doesn't pressure her into giving it all to him. She isn't sure why he hasn't mentioned anything about sex since that night she came too close to losing it all.

She is quickly snapped from her thoughts when she hears something at her window. She sits in the center of her bed, almost too terrified to open the blinds and peer out. The noise happens again. She clenches her eyes shut and swallows hard. Climbing over like a cat on her bed, Sarah peers out and sees Jack stand outside, looking up at her window. Her heart jumps as she shoots herself off of the bed and out of her door. As if the timing were perfect, she ends up tripping as she runs down the stairs.

"Shit!" She yells out but pushes herself back up.

She isn't concerned with being too loud. Her parent's room is on the other side of the house. She opens the door quickly and runs out of the house and crashes herself into Jack's arms. She begins to plants harsh kisses on his lips as he lifts her up and against him. She kisses him as she feels him begin to smile and laugh against her lips.

"Damn," One kiss, "I missed," Another kiss, "You too." She kisses him again.

Removing her lips from his, her arms wrap themselves around him even harder. Her face is turned into his neck, breathing in his scent. His arms wrap around her lower torso even harder, making her feel even hmore secure in his arms. This is way it is supposed to be. Sarah is to feel safe in his arms, no matter what. She is defenseless at the moment. This girl in his arms trusts him completely. This makes him smile even more. He can't help but smile as he holds his prey in his arms.

"I thought you would be out of Gotham by now." He whispers to her.

"So you've heard what's going on?" She asks him, placing a kiss on his neck.

"How can't I? You're all over the news." He kisses her ear.

"I tried to call you."

"I left my phone at the house this morning. I was worried about you all day." He says as he moves her higher for a better hold.

"I feel so special. I thought I was dead… for sure." She nuzzles her face in his neck.

"No, you weren't going to die today." He says, stroking her lower back.

"What do you mean?" She asks, pushing herself up to look at him in the eyes.

"You don't seem like the type to go down without a fight. I imagine you are like a cat with nine lives. Plus, you're mine and I won't let some wacko clown kill you." He smiles at her.

She returns the smile. "Have you actually seen him?" She asks.

"Nope. I just hear he wears a tacky purple suit with make-up. Do you remember anything about him?" He asks, eyeing her cautiously.

She shakes her head. "I was trying to not look at him. I was terrified." She replies, placing her head back against his neck.

"I imagine…" He says, smiling to himself.

"Jack." She says against his neck.

"Hmmm?"

"I-I think I'm ready." She says, her breath touching his skin.

Finally. "Ready for…?" He asks.

"Don't play stupid." She moves herself again to look in his eyes. "I'm ready to go all the way." She says almost embarrassed.

He raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"I don't think I've ever been so sure of anything in my life." She says.

He brings his lips to hers and kisses her with a tender touch.

**Yup. Next chapter will be a lemon. Just so you know. Please review if you'd like!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay lemon scene. I wrote this with music so if you want it in order as the story goes, here you are:Nora Jones "Come Away With Me"; India.Arie. "I Am Ready For Love"; Aqualung "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)"; Beyonce "Dangerously In Love"; Bush "Mouth"; HIM "Don't Fear the Reaper" (The acoustic version); Counting Crows "Colorblind"; Slipknot "Vermillion (****Part Two****)"**

**Also, if you are wanting a small little story of a lemon scene (or completely devoted to the lemon scene) I have written 'A Trade Off'. Chapter one is up and chapter two will finish it thus it will be complete. Anyways, have fun reading this one and as always thank you to the reviewers! You all are the best.**

He feels her legs slowly loosen their hold around his waist as she slides off of him; their lips never part. Her arms are still in place around his neck as well as his hands are still wrapped around her waist. The kiss becomes passionate as their tongues wrestle for dominance and their holds one each other strengthens. Sarah is the one to end the kiss as she directs her eyes into his and takes him by the hand to lead him into the house. She is extremely nervous he can tell due to her the constant tremors coursing through her hands and body. He decides that he needs to lure her into a false sense of security once more when they make it into her bedroom. The first time for any girl, he knows, is quite painful due to a piece of skin called the 'hymen' being ripped open by an invading force. His eyes glance down at the back of her head as she leads him up the stairs and through a hallway which in turns leads them both to her place of rest. He watches closely as her hand reaches out to the doorknob and sees just how bad it is shaking.

It's funny how Sarah does her best to conceal any emotion. Jack does have to admit that she pulls it off quite nicely. She has this thing about her personality that causes her to distrust many people naturally. She doesn't want people to get too close for fear of them finding out about her addictions, the way her father is actually a criminal… she doesn't want to get hurt. In her eyes, however, Jack is someone who she can let in. There is no doubt that he is a smartass but she feels he doesn't judge her for anything she does or says. Even if he did judge her, what right does he have? She is far better off than him in her mind. However in reality, she is lower than she thinks she is. Her attitude is the only thing that deeps others at bay. Intentional displays of anger, sarcasm, and an ego make people afraid to become enemies with her as well as friends. Manipulative and deceptive.

She shuts the door but remains standing against the stable wood as Jack goes towards the bed only stopping when he didn't feel the heat of her body near him. Turning his head slightly, his eyes land on her as she stands against the door showing her nervousness and… fear. A spark ignited inside of him as he watched her stand there a bit apprehensive. He couldn't help to smile the softest smile in years. Her fear and nervousness truly made her appear human and he wants to greedily eat it up. Turning fully towards her, he extends a hand for her to grab a hold of her support.

"Do you have music you'd like to listen to? It might help soothe your nerves." He tells her as her hand graces his with a soft touch.

She nods her head and walks over to her Ipod in which is sitting in its stereo. "Make it relaxing." She hears him say. She turns it on with shaky hands and goes to the play list most appropriate to soothe the nervousness her body and mind is experiencing.

Soft piano keys begin to play accompanied with the voice of Nora Jones. The song "Come Away with Me" creep into the room with a tender touch. She turns slowly to see him sitting on the bed with his forearms resting against his thighs. An arm leaves his thigh and stands out as it waits to wrap itself around her delicate waist. Walking forward, Sarah swallows hard imagining it is the nerves that won't seem to release her from their hold. The warmth of his skin to her body is inviting as he pulls her close onto his lap. He combs his fingers through her hair gently, staring into her eyes. His hand touches her cheek with his rough hand and begins to rub his thumb across her soft, sweet skin. He leans his head in slightly as his nose lightly skims hers, moving his head back and forth in a type of Eskimo kiss. He pushes his face forward ever so slightly to allow their lips to touch in one of the most tender kisses he has ever given out.

Her eyes shut softly as the song "I Am Ready For Love" by India.Arie begins to play through the speakers. His hand slides down to the nape of her neck to deepen the kiss as she opens her mouth to let him taste her mouth and dance with her tongue. She slithers her hand up along his chest and wraps itself around his neck. As the music wraps itself around them both, Sarah's nerves begin to calm down as her body stops the shaking. She feels his hand slide to her shirt easily sliding it from her small frame and to the floor. The kiss is broken as the two stare at each other in the eyes once more. He raises his eyebrows to question her one final time if she wants to go through the act and all she does as a reply is plant her lips on his once more.

As the song ends a new one begins.  
_I've been watching your world from a far.  
I've been trying to be where you are.  
_

Aqualung's song "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)". His hand slides up underneath the sports bra and softly squeezes her right breast as he moves his lips from hers to her neck. Her eyes flutter shut as she lets out a breathy moan. She leans her head over slightly to let his lips continue to plant tender kisses on her skin. A slight giggle escapes her lips when he nibbles playfully on her delicate flesh. He begins to remove her sports bra, taking his lips from her neck he earns a sigh of frustration from Sarah. He smiles playfully at her but his face returns to normal; his eyes hooded slightly from his arousal. He wraps his arms around her waist as he lifts her up and places her back on the bed. Sarah's heartbeat begins to quicken in pace once her exposed back hit's the sheets. Her eyes watch as he removes his shirt exposing his peach colored chest. Tossing the shirt to floor nonchalantly, he begins to step closer to the bed. His hands are placed on both sides of her as he begins to lower himself on top of her.

Her heartbeat is pounding so hard she blushes thinking that Jack can hear it. Her anxiety lessens as he kisses her again, trying to ease her into what's to come. The song changes swiftly to Beyonce's "Dangerously In Love". The tempo is a tad bit quicker making him want to ravage her body ever since the first day he laid his hellish eyes upon her. Their kiss becomes more passionate and heated that Sarah swore she felt flames begin to engulf both of them. His weight presses down upon as he slides a hand down to her waist to her thigh and squeezes tightly. She lets a moan cascade from her mouth into his. She wraps one leg around him as he moves his lips from her and onto her neck, kissing and sucking lightly. Her hands come up and entwine themselves in his curly hair. He moves lower to her collarbone and breast treating them the same way he did her neck. Her eyes roll to the back of her head when he feels a bite harder than any he permitted her to feel this very night. A moan of pleasure spills from her mouth as he continues to travel his lips further down her body; kissing her stomach and hips.

As he begins to place kisses on her waistline, a not-so-relaxing type song comes on. "Mouth" by Bush begins to play at the right moment. He slides the shorts off along with her panties leaving her fully nude to his prying eyes. His fingers trail lightly on the inside of her inner thigh and come across the area that he will make 'unclean'. He places his lips on her bud and sucks lightly earning him a moan and a twitch of the body. Though the two have been physical to a certain extent, he has never gone down on her, so to speak. This feeling is amazing to Sarah. Leaning her hips forward as an indication to Jack to **not** stop what he is doing, he places a single finger inside of her and begins to move it in and out slightly. So far she hasn't whimpered in pain from this action so he continues for a few moments until he inserts another finger. A slight discomfort flashes across her face but it soon vanishes as he removes his fingers quickly and places his talented tongue in the area his fingers once were. Raising her eyebrows, her lips form a perfect circle of pleasure. Her body bucks when he flicks his tongue back up to her bud and back down to her center. He removes his mouth and stands, trailing his fingers over her passion-swollen area.

He begins to unbuckle his belt as he locks eyes with the nude girl on the bed. She is biting the inside of her cheek out of nervousness once again. The acoustic version of "Don't Fear the Reaper" begins to play. It isn't the original band but a band by the name of HIM who does the song romantic justice. His zipper comes down effortlessly followed by his pants. She couldn't bare for him to see her look at him full form. She knows that he is standing at full attention. Another thing she knows, for sure, is that it will most defiantly be the most painful experience due to his girth. He smirks inwardly as a color rushes to her cheeks; he watches as her eyes remain on his instead of on his newly exposed piece of flesh. He walks towards her once again as he watches her with a blazing gaze. Her hands are already clenching the bed sheets and he hasn't even laid himself on top of her. This is what it all comes down to. He remembers the night in which they were supposed to have sex but instead she backed out at the last second, her nose full of cocaine no less.

He places a hand on one of her knees and opens her legs up to allow him on top of her without her knees resting uncomfortably on him. He notes the slowness of her movements as her anxiety begins to build. She doesn't care much about 'losing it to Mr. Right'; the pain she will experience is what causes her to be a bit hesitant. His touch helps ease her nerves into the right mood. Soft and gentle, unlike what it will feel like when he enters her for the first time. She wishes she lost her virginity earlier to someone with a smaller member; she silently curses herself. He begins to lower himself on top of her for the last time tonight. She feels him against her skin, still not entering her. They stare at each other for a few moments as his hands come up and cup her face before gently smoothing her hair out. Her arms wrap around his shoulders to pull him closer to her one last time before he enters her. He nuzzles her neck and places a kiss upon her warm skin. He reaches down to direct himself directly at her entrance, feeling just to make sure she is wet enough for a smooth entrance. With his chest pressed against hers so hardly, he can actually feel her heart pounding in her chest. The song changes to "Colorblind" by the Counting Crows.

A pained groan escapes her lips as he pushes himself in forcefully. Her nails dig into his skin at the pain. She clenches her teeth together as he pulls himself out slightly and goes back in slowly, not wanting to bring her more pain. His arms wrap underneath her body as hers do the same to his. His breathing is hitched due to the severe tightness wrapping itself around him. He kisses her on the lips as he continues to move in and out. A single tear slides down from her shut eyes at the horrible pain. Her body wants to tell him to stop, it urges her to tell him, but she doesn't want to let him leave her. The closeness of their bodies is heavenly to her even though he is causing a pain inside of her. He breaks the kiss but keeps his face directly above hers, their noses and foreheads touching each other. He rocks his body back and forth as he increases speed in his thrusts. The pain hasn't increased, only decreased after the first five minutes. Slipknot's "Vermillion part two" begins to play as he speeds up. His right hand unwraps itself from her being and slides down to her left thigh, squeezing it ever so harshly as he directs it to around his waist. She does the same with the other leg as he props himself up on his knees, his hands grabbing a hold of her sides. He begins to slide in and out of her with speed and force. It's hurting Sarah slightly but the pain is becoming a mix of pleasure. Her back arches and head tilts back as he keeps pounding, harder and faster. He lets out a moan as well as Sarah. His eyes watch her face for any sign of discomfort but slowly drift down to her bouncing breasts. As much as he loves to be inside of her, Jack decides that this is enough for the first night. He speeds up ever so slightly and begins to feel her clench around him in a way he knows too well. She is beginning to reach her climax, as is he.

Her eyes clench shut and her face turns to the side as he impales her over and over again sending her over the edge. Something she has never experienced before begins to take over her body. The color behind her eyelids are engulfed with white as her brain cuts off for a few seconds. She opens her eyes after a few moments still feeling him thrusting away. His thrusting is much, much harder and faster. He barely slides himself out of her before he slams back into her only to repeat the same motion. His fingers clench her skin as he feels himself begin to explode inside of her. The hot seeds of life spraying into her as he falls onto her body swallowing her lips with his. He grunts as he thrusts one last time into her. She wraps her arms and legs around him as he takes his mouth away from hers and places his head against hers, his breath dancing across her skin. Their chests are in sync with one another as they lay there in each others arms, ready to give in to sleep.

**Yeah, it's all lovey-dovey. But keep in mind that he had to lure her into a false sense of security. If I have them have sex then it won't be like this. It will be more like the sex you all read in 'Faces of Evil' or 'Sunset In the Night'.Well, review please and have a wonderful night :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**

**I've been gone for far too long. I've been sick to the extreme lately and plus had many, many things going on in the personal life that just got me down for a while. But enough with the bad news.**

**THE GOOD NEWS:**

**Chapters for "A Trade Off", "Sunset In The Night", and "Sleepwalking Past Hope" will be up soon. The stories are coming back from a rather long hiatus. I hope you all are looking forward to reading them as I am looking forward to writing them.**

**-Jenna Von Cannon**


	15. The Finale Part 1

The soft rays of the sun hit Sarah's face so pleasantly. As dark orbs stare down at the slumbering woman she seems angelic in appearances, almost nice and wonderful to be around. With the pants from last night fastened loosely around his thin waist Jack grabs the gray shirt and pulls it over his head, pulling it down to hand upon his lithe frame. Pulling the sheets back to expose the naked flesh of his latest conquest, the dried blood from the now destroyed hymen has settled against her inner thighs. Laying the sheets back upon her form, he opens the door and walks from the room. Sarah got her 'fairytale' sex and now it's time to up the stakes in Gotham.

Shutting the door to the large house he gives a once over to make sure no one was watching as he walks across the lawn and into the house in which he stole away from the owners. The very place in which he began watching her world from afar. The door opens without disturbing the slumbering men sprawled out on the couches as well as loveseats. A swift movement as he leaves the main room and makes his way to the room he called his own, looking at the blood splatter that has seeped into the carpet and most likely the very soul of the house.

The room was just as he left it. The sheets were ruffled, knives still in the wall, pictures scattered everywhere where space was available. Not a soul but him has crossed the threshold to snoop around through his items. It's not like people would find anything of interest- nothing to use against the madman. Just papers scattered and blades waiting for their turn to be launched inside someone or something.

Joker, or Jack, lays against the mattress, hands coming up to behind his head as his dark, callous eyes staring into the ceiling. Last night he took the very virginity of his obsession of the moment. Nothing has tasted so sweet in a very long time. Sure Jack has taken another girl's virginity at some point or another without a challenge. Sarah, though, had been quite the bitch. All he wanted to do was have some fun before Gotham got to have a taste of the Clown. She has beauty and an awful mouth that excites him. Getting everything ready is important but having a side project is just as fun.

* * *

The whole city is in panic tonight. Just when Carmine Falcone was put behind the sturdy doors of Arkham a whole new wave of fear swept the city. It started that morning. A small bank was robbed by men wearing clown masks. Citizens were worried some new criminals made their way into Gotham. There were no leads, there never really were. But as the sun fell into it's deep slumber the events of 'Fear' began to swing into action. Jonathan Crane's fear toxin began to flood the worse parts of Gotham: The Bowery, Crime Alley, The Narrows, and Arkham Asylum. Mass panic filtered through as the bridge began to be raised, separating the large city.

Sarah Merteuil stands there, with her parents- wide eyed and mouth agape. How can something like this happen? Organized crime and homicides is what Gotham is use to, not something as dramatic as this. Many people stare as the mist covers the other side of the bridge. Sarah's parents tug at her shirt to try and get inside where it is safe. What breaks her out of her trance is the roaring Tumbler as it leaps over the raising bridge. With that, she turns on her heel and quickly follows her parents.

* * *

-A few weeks later-

"_A local man was found today dead in an alley. His death is due to multiple stabbings and two lacerations to his face. Authorities has no leads as to who murdered the man but say the killer left something behind. A 'Joker' card was pinned to the man's jacket. Police officials are urging Gotham residents to not travel alone when out and stay in well lit areas."_

Sarah stares at the screen in horror while Jack looks on, watching her from the corner of his eyes. The girl's mind is traveling backwards, remembering the man with the clown face. The way his cold eyes looked down at her naked body. She had just finished showering when she discovered him sitting there, ever so happily, on her couch. Images of his white face, dark eyes, and that smile. The smile that seemed extended because of facial scarring. Scarring in the same area of Jack's.

She had told the police she didn't see anything distinct about the man. Her mind was still fucked up completely so those 'small' things, such as his scars, were something she had erased from her mind completely. She had kept her gaze away from him, fearing that looking at him might cause her to die instantly. But now, man months after that event, her mind isn't as clouded. She actually remembers those ugly scars covered with red paint.

"I think I need to go home," Her voice full of nervousness.

"Why?" He asks.

Sarah had already stood, collecting her things. Jake isn't here so if Jack wanted to do anything to make her scream, he very well could. But as Sarah tries to leave the place in which she stands his hands shoots out to grab a hold of her wrist. Narrowed emerald hues come down to look at the man.

"When I ask you a question, you answer. Why are you leaving?"

The tone in his voice is enough to send a shiver down her spine. His grip on her wrists is another thing to make her rather uneasy. The two stare at each other, Jack waiting for an answer and Sarah trying to think of one. His light brows raise as he squeezes her wrist hard enough to earn and wince and a hard exhale.

"I don't feel well," She speaks through gritted teeth, "Now take your hand off of me or I swear I will--"

"You'll do what?" He interrupts her with a familiar giggle. He yanks her down so that she is sitting closer than previously, "You won't do anything sweetie," A hand comes to her hair, combing through with his fingers.

"Jack, stop. Just let me leave," She says, keeping her eyes averted from him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I just like you waaaaay too much to let you scurry off," His voice taking on higher octaves.

"Yes you can. I just want to go home, please, "Her voice beginning to waver.

Her eyes glance down to a spot on his jeans. The substance looked creamy though it is smeared. It looked as if it were dried face paint. White and Red. She raises her eyes as her heartbeat begins to pick up speed. His calculating eyes follow hers. There on his pants was some of his 'war paint' in a stain. He had carelessly wiped his fingers against the fabric earlier. He smiles as his hold grows tighter on her wrists.

"But I don't wanna. You have no reason to leave. I'm here and I've got some nice white powder for you and I."

Tears begin to form but Sarah never blinks. She doesn't want to show just how terrified she really is. She believes she doesn't quite know that she thinks him to be The Joker. No words of accusation has spilled past her plump lips. If she plays this smart she may be able to leave and go to the police.

"I could," She begins hearing him go 'hmmm' into her ear, "I could stay for a little while longer. I'm sure Jake has Tylenol or something in the kitchen," She says finally looking over to him in a false smile.

"Good. That makes me so 'happy' to hear. Go on and find some. I'll be here waiting for you," He replies, releasing her from his grip but not before he slams his lips against her own.

Sarah fights the urge not to push him away. His tongue snakes out and begins to run along her bottom lip. Her eyes remained clenched shut, knowing his own is looking dead at her. Finally he breaks the kiss and her eyes open. A pleased look upon his face as she gives him a tight lipped smile. She rises, walks past him only to merit a small slap on the butt. She giggles nervously as she leaves the room. As soon as Sarah is out of his line of vision she races to the kitchen.

Her breathing is sharp as she buries her face in her hands. She wants to scream, cry, and yell curses into the air for being so stupid. She slept with the raging psychopath on several occasions. Allowed him into her house, her life. Tears fall as she tries to think rationally. She could call the police with the house phone but they would take too long to get all the way out here. She jerks her head up to the backdoor.

Glancing to the doorway to make sure Jack, or The Joker, hasn't followed her, Sarah makes a break for it. She flings the door open and races down the wooden stairs. Turning the corner of the house she pulls her keys out, running as if her life depends on it. But a scream erupts from her as her hair is yanked with such force to cause her feet to come out from under her . She feels herself falling quickly and yet slowly at the same time. He knew she would try and run from the house. So he stood at the edge of the curve and waited. Only when he was rewarded when he heard the crunching of twigs and leaves. Landing on the ground, her head hitting first, she lays there for a few moments. She brings a hand to touch the area in which hit first to see if there could possibly be blood.

"Trying to escape Sar-rahhhh?" Her eyes snap open to see a very angry looking Jack standing over her.

"Looks like the little bunny isn't as smart as I thought she was," His voice deep with anger, "Oh well, no matter then?" He shrugs as he pulls a cloth out and forces it down on her nose and mouth.

Sarah holds off on breathing in for as long as she can. Her hands frantically try to pry his own away. With a furrowed brow her eyes glare into his smirking face. But her lungs began to burn eventually. She breathes in managing to get some oxygen as well as the Chloroform. Her hands slipped from his wrists as the green of her eyes drift upward into unconsciousness.


	16. Finale Part 2

An inhale merit's a horrible stench. The throbbing in her head won't stop. She moves her hand to the place her head smacked into the ground. She opens her eyes lazily peering into darkness. She throws her body up, butt resting against the cool floor. Her gaze darts around trying to figure out where in the Hell she is. Boarded up windows, a single bed off in the corner. Knives sticking from the walls. Newspaper clippings pertaining to Batman on one side of the wall and photos of her on the other. The panic, the fear, floods her body all over again. A door opens behind her, trickling some light into the room. Sarah doesn't dare turn around. The door shuts as the lock is heard put into place. She is now captured in the room with her predator.

"I wondered when you'd wake up," His voice calls out to her, "Thought you were in coma from that hit to your noggin."

A light from a lamp flicks on as she shuts her eyes, not wanting to see him. Bringing her knees up to her chest as her arms cross over them, securing her knees in place. An unwanting shiver spreads through her body as gloved fingers come down to her bare shoulder, messing with the straps of her bra. He's next to her, squatting down, looking upon her almost naked form. He had stripped her down to nothing but her bra and panties.

"What's wrong Sarah-bear? You seem afraid, nervous even," His voice littered with false concern, "You don't need to be afraid. You should be excited and honored."

Gritting her teeth, fighting away tears and the urge to jerk away from him. She felt the heat from his body as he remains there, toying with her. Even as he strokes her back so lovingly Sarah knows something bad is going to happen. If only she hadn't been a fool. Gulping, she is honestly terrified by what he means.

"Look at me," He whispers, his hot breath against her ear.

It took a moment. Swallowing hard before she raises her head, eyes doing just as he commanded. As soon as her fearful eyes looked upon his face that is when the tears started to stream down her cheeks. Smiling at her is that face that haunted her nightmares. The smeared white against the black and red. Without the makeup the scars looked dangerously horrid but underneath the red is looked even worse. She pushes herself away to put distance between the two but he just reaches down, grabbing her ankle and pulls her back to him.

"Atatatata," He clicks, "You never backed yourself away before so. Don't. Start. Now."

"Jack, please…" She whimpers.

"It's not Jack, Sarah. Jack is a very distant memory," His hand coming up to wave it away, "A worthless punk that has been disposed of, "He corrects her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" He exclaims with a wide smile. He stands making his way to his bed, grabbing his beloved Cupid blade from the mattress.

"You are going to be my grand unveiling to Gotham. I needed someone who is high on the market of importance and you-ah were just the one," He informs her with his cheery voice, pointing at her with the blade, "There were others I could have chosen from. You 'purebreds' litter this fine city. But that first night," He crosses his arms across his chest as he stares off at the wall- remembering the events.

"You had spunk. Though you do have a very dirty mouth and I didn't exactly like that. But your 'image' of being such a 'good girl' was funny. Funny in the sense of you having a nasty drug problem. It was all enough to convince me you were worthy of being my masterpiece," He says with a smile and his arms outstretched.

All Sarah could do is sit there in shock, tears glistening down her cheeks. The young woman is truly disgusted by everything he said. He is going to use her for something demented to announce his true appearance. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time when they first met. But she had no idea that he had made her that certain obsession before the two had even met. The first orders were to find a house with an attractive female living close. But as The Joker learned of her name and did some digging to find out all those skeletons in her closet.

"Didn't think you would let me in your pants though," He lowers his gaze down to her with a wink.

"I didn't know you were a fucking lunatic," She spits out feeling a bit sick.

The whole scene plays in her mind: _Her eyes shut softly as the song "I Am Ready For Love" by begins to play through the speakers. His hand slides down to the nape of her neck to deepen the kiss as she opens her mouth to let him taste her mouth and dance with her tongue. She slithers her hand up along his chest and wraps itself around his neck. As the music wraps itself around them both, Sarah's nerves begin to calm down as her body stops the shaking. She feels his hand slide to her shirt easily sliding it from her small frame and to the floor. The kiss is broken as the two stare at each other in the eyes once more. He raises his eyebrows to question her one final time if she wants to go through the act and all she does as a reply is plant her lips on his once more._

_As the song ends a new one begins.I've been watching your world from a far.I've been trying to be where you are._

Turning her head to the side that odd rubbing feeling begins in her throat. What little contents in her stomach begin to shoot up through her throat and out her mouth. Sarah hadn't eaten all day so what did come up made her cringe. The bitter stomach bile lays on the floor. Coughing and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she keeps her eyes glued to the ground.

She hears his laughter fill the room. Sarah shuts her eyes tightly wishing this was all a dream. His laughter will stop and she'll jerk herself up from her very comfortable bed, remembering her nightmare. But the Joker's laughter doesn't stop and there is no bed for her to wake up on. She's here, in this room, with a madman whose face is painted up like a clown.

"But don't you worry your sweet little head," His voice full of restrained laughter, "I'll always remember the that special night; That night you gave your 'innocence' up to dear ole Jack!" He resumes his laughter as the shame is beyond evident in her face.

"Ohhhh," He giggles, wiping away tears from his black eyes, "But enough of this. Can't be stuck in the past when there are greater things ahead."

He begins his steady approach, eyeing his pray huddled up against the ground. She can't look at him, she won't. While he was busy laughing at her Sarah's mind was twisting and turning out ways to get away from the Sociopath. Closer and closer he stalks, circling her once and coming to stand at her feet. She cuts her eyes at him, more so his legs, as she raises her foot quickly and swiftly and launches it into his right knee. A grunt sounds out as he falls forward almost landing on Sarah if she hadn't have moved out of the way and climbed to her feet. She dashes towards her only means of escape, her heartbeat sounding like thunder. Her hand touches the knob trying to turn it before she stops and lets out a scream. Joker has thrown his knife at her making it slice through the flesh of her thigh.

Looking down with tear stained eyes she sees the handle sticking out the side of her left thigh. Blood has already begun to trickle down into a pretty stain. Her hands grip onto the handle as she pulls it from her flesh causing her to once again scream out in agony. The blood soaked knife remains in her hand. She begins to turn around to try and kill her attacker but before she could even move her body was forced upon the door. She felt the hard wall of his chest pressing against her back, she felt his groin against her butt, and his legs keeping her in place.

"I forgot how much of a fighter you are," He growls into her ear while pressing his body against her harder, "You know what that does to me," A gloved hand comes to grab her breast with an iron grip squeeze.

Gritting her teeth not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a scream of yelp. She tries to yank herself to the side but the way he has her pinned to the door she is more than locked in. Sarah begins to struggle to free herself, her hand staying tightly clenched around the handle of the knife. The hand on her breast leaves it's position as it snakes it's way into her hair. She feels a tug as her head is jerked back. The presence is no longer behind her but on the side of her as The Joker throws her to the ground. With a straight face he walks over to her left hand and begins to step on it, not taking his foot away. Letting out a small yelp and a distorted face she is determined to not let the knife leave her hand. He could easily reach down and pry the weapon from her but that would take away the fun.

She glares up at him, punching his other leg with her free hand. His red smile stays on his lips as his head is tilted downward, his dark curls framing his face. He moves down quickly as he straddles her by sitting on her stomach. Her arm comes from the ground as she tries to stab him but he quickly grabs his wrist and pinning it down to the ground above her head. She tries to squirm out from underneath him but his thighs tighten around her torso.

"You know, I don't know what I like more," He sends a fist to her jaw, "The fact that I took your little 'innocence' of yours," Another fist to the same place, "Or that now you know you had sex with me and enjoyed it," He laughs, "Actually… I like both!" Another fist to the same area.

Sarah is more dazed than anything. The pain in her jaw is on fire but she keeps a grip on that handle. He removes his hold on her wrist to bring his finger upon his chin, looking as if he were about to say something theological. But what comes from him is nothing intelligent. A groan escapes his mouth as the steel knife enters his arm. The seething clown quickly backhands the woman underneath him. The pair had made two mistakes. He released her hand that held the knife and she let go of the handle when he backhanded her. With another grunt he pulls it from his arm, teeth clenched with eyes closed. His blood covered hand grabs onto her hair and slams her head down onto the floor.

"I'm going to make sure I do this slow," He tells her through gritted teeth.

With one fluid movement a hand has her chin as the other has the knife presses against her mouth. Green hues widen as her hands come up to move him away. She struggles and he enjoys it. When it comes down to when death is supposed to happen people begin to panic, they try and fight the inevitable. The two rock on the floor as her body tries to buck him off. The tip of the blade manages to cut into her lips, a little into her cheek, and chin. It's all painful but she never opens her mouth to scream. Tears continue to fall as she stares up at him, screaming inside with her lips remaining shut. The Joker grits his teeth as he was trying to give her a 'smile' to remember. He brings his hands up to cup her face while leaning down so close she can smell the greasepaint.

"You're only making this harder on yourself Sarah," A thumb wipes away tears, "Shush, don't cry. You're going to be apart of something great," He sends his lips down onto hers.

His grip returns to her chin so that she can't move her head to get away from the intimate embrace. But as he kisses her his other hand began to travel down, the blade waiting to find a warm spot. Manuvering the knife, he plunges the knife into her side making sure the entire piece of steel got it's fill. Those emerald orbs widen as her mouth finally opens, screaming into Joker's mouth. With this he sits up, grabbing her chin and placing that deadly weapon into her mouth. It meets the right corner quickly, a glint coming into his eyes as he looks down upon her panicking face.

"And here we… go."

The burning pain completely takes hold of her body. She thrashes her body causing the path of the knife to become rather messy. Blood begins to pour down the side of her face meeting the ground underneath her. Some begins to pour into her mouth to cause choking and sputtering. Sarah prays to die from bloodloss before he can even finish the first set. His face is nothing but amused and concentration. He moves the knife slowly, along the flesh to separate it evenly. Curved up to her right cheek, he pulls it from her.

"That wasn't so bad, hmm?"

Sarah remains motionless, unable to move from all the pain. The glimmer in her beautiful eyes begins to fade as the edge of the Joker's knife moves on to the left side of her face. Clenching her eyes shut the last of her tears follow to stain the floor. The separating of flesh begins as he moves his knife up the same way he did before. Removing it from her 'smile', he pats her cheek. Sarah's eyes drift open one last time to see the beaming man. The two stare until the last glimmer of life fades away.

* * *

The following day the body of Sarah Merteuil is placed upon the steps to City Hall. Her clothes are back on her body but her face is bloodied and made up with the Joker's makeup. Attached to her shirt is a Joker card with something written on it: **I Have Arrived.**

* * *

**So this is the end of "Sleepwalking Past Hope". Review if you'd like, I'd love it. But fear not faithful readers and reviewers! I am still updating "Sunset In the Night". I also have a new story called "Gotham Tales". It involves the Joker, an Original Character, and brief cameos of The Scarecrow. Head on over lovelies. **


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